SHARE INDOOR SHELTERS SLEEP OUT AT GATES FOUNDATION - 5TH AVE N & MERCER
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SHARE Shelters
Oct 10, 2011, 10:29:17 PM10/10/11
to SHARE Shelters Updates
SHARE NEWS FLASH!
7:30 PM MONDAY EVENING 10/10/11
WORLD HOMELESS DAY IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
(206) 448-7889
CHARITY AND JUSTICE BEGIN AT HOME:
SHARE RETURNS* TO FIFTH AVE NORTH AND MERCER
(Now occupied by the Brand New, Super Duper World Headquarters of the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.)
WHY HERE?
First some questions for you:
When the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation co-sponsored a World Forum
in Seattle last year on Encampments and ShantyTowns, did they invite
any of the three encampments around Seattle to the soiree?
Of the 3 million dollars dished out in grants to redesign the toilet,
did any go to people who have to use porta potties in Seattle every
day?
After Gates Foundation CEO Jeff Raikes trooped around the bushes
looking for homeless people on the One Night Street Count, did he, or
the Committee to End Homelessness recommend increasing available
shelter for the thousands in King County who sleep outside after every
shelter bed is full?
Besides following the lead of their employees in the Matching Gift
Program, has the Gates Foundation ever contributed to King County's
Largest Shelter Providers Operating Budget?
Before Bono crashed at Bill and Melindas place last June, he did a
shout out to Bill Gates at Quest Field during the U2 performance.
When Bono said that Bill and Melinda are "changing lives, they are
transforming lives" was he talking about homeless people in Seattle?
Has Bill Gates visited Tent City4 when it has visited Microsoft's
Hometown - Redmond - 3 times? Has he travelled the less than 5 miles
to visit it in Bellevue right now? Has he ever visited a SHARE
shelter or Tent City?
The Gates Foundation strongly supports King County United Way. Is it
because King County United Way regularly supports Seattle's largest
Shelter Network? Has United Way financially supported SHARE at all
this year?
THE ANSWER TO ALL THE ABOVE IS NO AND/OR NEVER!
SHARE thinks Charity and Justice Begin at Home. We're part of this
community, they're part of this community. It's time for Bill and
Melinda to talk to the homeless home folk - us!
That's why we're sleeping around the Gates Foundation tonight - and
tomorrow night, and probably until we can afford to re open the indoor
shelters. We're shining the light on corpocracy - rule and domination
by corporations - while the 99% get slammed coming and going.
SHARE's here because we're tired of seeing nice projects for the world
funded out of the 5th & Mercer Headquarters while we suffer in
poverty.
And while we've heard Bill is a real smart guy, we also know that the
tax rate for rich guys like him dropped dramatically under the latest
President Bush and has never gone back up. The 400 richest Americans
used to pay 30% of their income on average to Uncle Sam - now its
18%. As President Obama points out, plumbers often pay more. This is
why the government is broke, the safety net is shredded, and corporate
profits keep doing well.
SHARE thinks Charity and Justice begin at home.
Its real nice that the Gates Foundation sponsored, over 10 years, a 48
million dollar Transitional Housing Program for Homeless Families in
Pierce, King, and Snohomish Counties. If Mr. or Mrs. Gates talks to
us, we'll offer that transitional housing may not get the most bang
for the buck, targeting homeless families excludes us, and that while
housing is being built WE STILL NEED SHELTER.
When it comes to Research and Development Grants maybe Gargantuan
Foundations are a fine fine thing. When it comes to homeless folks
sleeping outside around them, fairness and justice start to break
down. Six homeless folks died in King County in the last two months
either outside or by violence. At least 19 have died in these
circumstances this year. With this County's wealth, that's just
wrong.
What does SHARE want from the Gates Foundation? First, let's talk!
Second, sure we'd like some of the 3 billion dollars they are dishing
out this year. Third, set an example of not just doing the
international things well, but the local things. Think globally, act
locally.
Doing local things well doesn't mean simply endorsing the Ten Year
Plan to End Homelessness in King County. The 10 Year Plan doesn't end
homelessness in King County, it just hides it. And it doesn't even
make a priority of setting up more shelter now, when thousands are
sleeping outside. If Bill Gates used the kind of business plan and
arithmetic the 10 Year Homelessness Planners are using, he'd be fired
and sleeping outside with us!
SHARE also acknowledges that the Gates and Microsoft aren't the only
corpocracy around that is profiting while we're suffering. SHARE has
written and sent the same basic letter to Nordstrom, T Mobil, COSTCO,
AMGEN, Jones Soda Co, Amazon, Boeing, Nintendo, and Starbucks. Why
not Paul Allen and Vulcan? Because he's been providing us with free
space for our Homeless Storage Locker Program for over 10 years!
Thank You Vulcan!
Pablo Eisenberg points out that "Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren
Buffet are the three board members who give out more than 3-billion a
year without any public discussion process. If scholars who predict a
huge transfer of private wealth in the next 30 years are right, that
may result in 30 to 50 foundations as big or bigger than Gates run by
two or three family members."
SHARE is part of the 99% who don't want the wealth of the nation
divided up by committees of three. A little more democracy and
equality please!
The SHARE community consists of over 500 homeless people. The indoor
shelters of 300 closed tonight. Two outdoor Tent Cities stay open for
now. Tonight some of us will take advantage of a friend's couch - but
that can only last so long. Others will take their chances alone and
in the bush. But many of us will stick together at 5th Ave North &
Mercer, and every night the numbers should grow.
* The first 24/7 indoor SHARE Shelter - aka SHARE Transit - was
located at the site of 5th Avenue North and Mercer where the Gates
Foundation now stands. In the fall of 1990 it was an abandoned, two
story bus barn. SHARE had just started its first Tent City by the
Kingdome. Mayor Norm Rice offered SHARE one floor of the Bus Barn for
the winter. We accepted, and then through negotiations moved to the
Aloha Inn in May of 1991.
7:30 PM MONDAY EVENING 10/10/11
WORLD HOMELESS DAY IN SEATTLE, WASHINGTON
(206) 448-7889
CHARITY AND JUSTICE BEGIN AT HOME:
SHARE RETURNS* TO FIFTH AVE NORTH AND MERCER
(Now occupied by the Brand New, Super Duper World Headquarters of the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.)
WHY HERE?
First some questions for you:
When the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation co-sponsored a World Forum
in Seattle last year on Encampments and ShantyTowns, did they invite
any of the three encampments around Seattle to the soiree?
Of the 3 million dollars dished out in grants to redesign the toilet,
did any go to people who have to use porta potties in Seattle every
day?
After Gates Foundation CEO Jeff Raikes trooped around the bushes
looking for homeless people on the One Night Street Count, did he, or
the Committee to End Homelessness recommend increasing available
shelter for the thousands in King County who sleep outside after every
shelter bed is full?
Besides following the lead of their employees in the Matching Gift
Program, has the Gates Foundation ever contributed to King County's
Largest Shelter Providers Operating Budget?
Before Bono crashed at Bill and Melindas place last June, he did a
shout out to Bill Gates at Quest Field during the U2 performance.
When Bono said that Bill and Melinda are "changing lives, they are
transforming lives" was he talking about homeless people in Seattle?
Has Bill Gates visited Tent City4 when it has visited Microsoft's
Hometown - Redmond - 3 times? Has he travelled the less than 5 miles
to visit it in Bellevue right now? Has he ever visited a SHARE
shelter or Tent City?
The Gates Foundation strongly supports King County United Way. Is it
because King County United Way regularly supports Seattle's largest
Shelter Network? Has United Way financially supported SHARE at all
this year?
THE ANSWER TO ALL THE ABOVE IS NO AND/OR NEVER!
SHARE thinks Charity and Justice Begin at Home. We're part of this
community, they're part of this community. It's time for Bill and
Melinda to talk to the homeless home folk - us!
That's why we're sleeping around the Gates Foundation tonight - and
tomorrow night, and probably until we can afford to re open the indoor
shelters. We're shining the light on corpocracy - rule and domination
by corporations - while the 99% get slammed coming and going.
SHARE's here because we're tired of seeing nice projects for the world
funded out of the 5th & Mercer Headquarters while we suffer in
poverty.
And while we've heard Bill is a real smart guy, we also know that the
tax rate for rich guys like him dropped dramatically under the latest
President Bush and has never gone back up. The 400 richest Americans
used to pay 30% of their income on average to Uncle Sam - now its
18%. As President Obama points out, plumbers often pay more. This is
why the government is broke, the safety net is shredded, and corporate
profits keep doing well.
SHARE thinks Charity and Justice begin at home.
Its real nice that the Gates Foundation sponsored, over 10 years, a 48
million dollar Transitional Housing Program for Homeless Families in
Pierce, King, and Snohomish Counties. If Mr. or Mrs. Gates talks to
us, we'll offer that transitional housing may not get the most bang
for the buck, targeting homeless families excludes us, and that while
housing is being built WE STILL NEED SHELTER.
When it comes to Research and Development Grants maybe Gargantuan
Foundations are a fine fine thing. When it comes to homeless folks
sleeping outside around them, fairness and justice start to break
down. Six homeless folks died in King County in the last two months
either outside or by violence. At least 19 have died in these
circumstances this year. With this County's wealth, that's just
wrong.
What does SHARE want from the Gates Foundation? First, let's talk!
Second, sure we'd like some of the 3 billion dollars they are dishing
out this year. Third, set an example of not just doing the
international things well, but the local things. Think globally, act
locally.
Doing local things well doesn't mean simply endorsing the Ten Year
Plan to End Homelessness in King County. The 10 Year Plan doesn't end
homelessness in King County, it just hides it. And it doesn't even
make a priority of setting up more shelter now, when thousands are
sleeping outside. If Bill Gates used the kind of business plan and
arithmetic the 10 Year Homelessness Planners are using, he'd be fired
and sleeping outside with us!
SHARE also acknowledges that the Gates and Microsoft aren't the only
corpocracy around that is profiting while we're suffering. SHARE has
written and sent the same basic letter to Nordstrom, T Mobil, COSTCO,
AMGEN, Jones Soda Co, Amazon, Boeing, Nintendo, and Starbucks. Why
not Paul Allen and Vulcan? Because he's been providing us with free
space for our Homeless Storage Locker Program for over 10 years!
Thank You Vulcan!
Pablo Eisenberg points out that "Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren
Buffet are the three board members who give out more than 3-billion a
year without any public discussion process. If scholars who predict a
huge transfer of private wealth in the next 30 years are right, that
may result in 30 to 50 foundations as big or bigger than Gates run by
two or three family members."
SHARE is part of the 99% who don't want the wealth of the nation
divided up by committees of three. A little more democracy and
equality please!
The SHARE community consists of over 500 homeless people. The indoor
shelters of 300 closed tonight. Two outdoor Tent Cities stay open for
now. Tonight some of us will take advantage of a friend's couch - but
that can only last so long. Others will take their chances alone and
in the bush. But many of us will stick together at 5th Ave North &
Mercer, and every night the numbers should grow.
* The first 24/7 indoor SHARE Shelter - aka SHARE Transit - was
located at the site of 5th Avenue North and Mercer where the Gates
Foundation now stands. In the fall of 1990 it was an abandoned, two
story bus barn. SHARE had just started its first Tent City by the
Kingdome. Mayor Norm Rice offered SHARE one floor of the Bus Barn for
the winter. We accepted, and then through negotiations moved to the
Aloha Inn in May of 1991.
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